, 1887-05-28
The Kings of ireland.

10 CI0 q A0blOtIS - III IL 4OW dELVCkE
on Ireland which followed, Ithei editor OF
this paper has preferred to leave that
sburming" subject alone, except that he
has reprinted from time to time from the
English newspapers short notices illustra.
tive of the condition of the country. The
occurrences now taking place in England
constitute indeed q strong temptation to
take the subject up again from a jubilant
stand point, for not only Englishnen, but
I'LL friends of law and order, must be glad
to see the British government foot gradu-
ally but surely coming down On the
squealing crowd of National Leaguers.
This last remark must, however, be re.
garded as only q longing look from the
bank, and not as a plunge into the lively
stream. 1t is but u temporary yielding to
a temptation which it is honestly intended
to resist, our present object being merely
to Introduce to our readers an account of
the "Kings of Ireland" which we find in
Whitaker's Almanack for the present year.
Whitaker's Almanack contains q great
amount Of information, and among other
things gives lists of the Kings of England,
Scotland and Ireland and of the Welsh
Sovereigns and Princes.
The Kings of England begin with Egbert
In 827 A. D., the Scottish Kings with
Malcolm in 1857 "A. D., and the Lndepen-
dent Welsh Princes with Roderick the
Great i'll $40 A. d. When the Irish
Kings begin will appear from the pas
sage we now quote from the Almanack.
''The line Tor rather lines of native SOW.
ereigns is a very long one some Irish
historians have traced the succession to
about the period of the Flood, 'before
which there were many princes but
unfortunately the records have not been
preserved. According TO Heating, the
first Soverelgns after the MiIeSian con-
quest, of whom there is any absolute
certainty were Heber and Herem0n,
Milesian princes from Gallicia in Spain, who
conquered Ireland, AMI gave to it's throne
a race Ofl71 kings. These two princes
reigned jointly from the year 1900 b. q.
till 1891, when Heremon alone ruled.
the year 1855 b. q. to the Christian
era, about 169 in number, only fifteen died
comfortably in their beds; four died OF the
plague or some malignant distemper, the
rest being asSassinateI, killed in battle, or
dying other violent deaths. Home Rule
in all its beautiful simplicity was in exist
ence from the earliest times till after the
conquest of Ireland by Henry II in 1l72;
the Rulers, however, appear to have had
anything buta peac1able, quiet time"
The compiler of tho Almanack then pro.
ceeds to give Gan authentic liStD of Irish
Kings from the Birth ofChriStdowntO Henry
H., and a most remarkable list it is. During
the117O years, 80 kings seem to have reign.
ed, a few of them however in pairs. Of the
80 who are named, 46 met with a violent
death, being either "murdered,' slain by
their successors or "Slain in BATTLE" Of
one of these unfortunates it is said that he
was ''poisoned by his sister to obtain the
crown for her SOn.D A case is recorded
under the date 693 which we have not in
Guided in the number of violent deaths.
but which looks very suspicious. t'Congal
~COnmaghair-'a cruel prosecutor of the
Irish Church without mercy or distinction;'
sudden death" Ofthree kings, very close
together in time, strange to say, it is recorded
that they we're killed by thunderbolts. AS
this is not recorded anywhere else in the
list, and as it must be altogether n rare
thing for q king to be killed by a thunderboIt,
this singularity makes us suspicious that
the "historians" rave sprinkled in q few
"thunderbolts" at this place by way ofmak.
ing a striking variety. That they were in
sore straits for filling up their history APP
pears probable from the following entry:
''Tergesius, the Norwegian chief, possess
ed himself of the sovereign power; 'expell-
ed the Irish historians and burned their
books. 1t is some consolation to know
thai this rascal was stmade prisoner,
%Irown into a 1a,,Oh or1 Irouruo % DL:.